Japan was interested in investing in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu that had recently seen transition in governments, the country’s envoy said here on Monday.
“We are interested in investing in these states. I have already met (West Bengal chief minister) Mamata Banerjee and told here that Japan would be interested in investing in the state,” Ambassador Akitaka Saiki told IANS on the sidelines of an industry event here. He has also met Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa.
While Banerjee took over after her Trinamool Congress, in alliance with the Congress, ended over three decades of Left rule in West Bengal, Jayalalithaa became chief minister after her AIADMK defeated the DMK in the April-May Assembly elections. According to Saiki, infrastructure development in both the states were the key to attracting investments. “In my meeting with (Banerjee) I informed her that infrastructure was key to attracting investments,” Saiki said, adding that his side was studying possibility for investing.
“In my meeting with chief minister Jayalalitha, we discussed the possibility for investments and economic cooperation in the state’s development. But infrastructure is still a major issue,” Saiki said. “Infrastructure is a very important area for attracting investments. Industries require infrastructure, so do other economic activities,” he added.